


The King's Elk and the Captain's Demotion

by athousandvictories



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-22
Updated: 2015-03-31
Packaged: 2018-03-19 03:32:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3594768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/athousandvictories/pseuds/athousandvictories
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A somewhat spontaneous tale centered mainly on the two characters I wanted more backstory for, that is, Tauriel and Thranduil's elk.  Inspired by this lovely artwork:<br/>http://gizellagarden.tumblr.com/image/110530826803</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> I regret to admit that though I have recently attempted to brush up my proper Tolkien-canon timeline knowledge, a reread of the Silmarillion is likely not enough to prevent me from making errors. As Tauriel herself is movie-canon I will likely be using a bit of both as I see fit. Enjoy(also any constructive criticism is much appreciated).

Tauriel glided into the throne room with her usual composure despite the lateness of the hour. She stood at attention in front of where the King sat, draped languidly on his throne in the arrogant manner that he had favoured for all time within memory.

Thranduil said nothing, hoping to perhaps entice her into a nervous fidget. But his Captain was more than knowledgeable of his moods and chose not to be swayed, even when he ignored her flagrantly for over a minute. 

Finally, when he had grown tired of what was clearly going to be a stalemate, he spoke.

"You may begin your report, Captain." 

"We found traces of an orc pack, my Lord. Manwe only knows why they were so deep within the woods, but they were within a few leagues of here. We tracked them to where they crossed the river and dealt with them quickly enough." Tauriel had started to pace, her words quickening. He decided to stop her before she found a way to turn the situation into a criticism of his policies as she typically managed to do.

"And this took place at what time?"

"High noon."

"And that how explains why you are reporting back to me after night has nearly fallen?" He asked, flicking his eyes cursorily over his fingernails, his voice dangerously low.

"We- we found a creature my Lord." He raised his eyebrows elegantly in the condescending expression used universally by exasperated elves. Tauriel took this as a cue to continue, as he knew she would.

"A young elk. The scum must have been hunting and shot falsely. It had an arrow through its flank, my Lord, and was lowing for its dead mother. We found her remains by the orcs' fire." Tauriel's lip had twisted up into a snarl.

"And you saw fit to lengthen doubly your return journey to bring this animal back with you." Thranduil sighed. 

"Tauriel, you have been in your current position for nearly a century and yet somehow there is always a surprise."

"What would you have me do? Leave it gravely injured and alone?"

"End its suffering, perhaps. Where is it presently?"

"In the stables. I fear the grooms will say as you have, and I shall have to kill it." Tauriel said grimly. 

"Now that my patrol has wasted good time on it", Thranduil paused significantly, "I hope that will not be the case. I shall see to the matter myself."

"Thank you, my lord." Tauriel did little to conceal the surprise that crossed her face.

When would she learn, Thranduil mused, to mask her passions as other did? Perhaps never. At least she kept things interesting, with her wildly impulsive decisions. And her men were loyal to a fault, for her qualities were inspiring if nothing else. 

"My Lord, there is also the matter of the orcs."

"You would like permission to take a small company at daylight and hunt for other such packs beyond the Wood." Thranduil said coolly. 

"You may not."

"My Lord-"

"Silence Tauriel, I have been lenient enough for one day." She ducked her head.

"You are dismissed."


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have experience raising horses and sheep but never an elk. Hopefully I am characterizing him accurately. Research on arrow removal was done as my lovely horses have gotten into many predicaments but thankfully never one involving arrows.

Thranduil waited until the Captain had exited before going down to the stables. They were beautiful, carven into the stone beneath the forest, but still smelled of horse, and he could hear the distinctly equine sounds of snorting, breathing, and the muted thumping of pacing hooves landing on straw. It did not take long to find what he was looking for. Two grooms were crouched in the aisle of the main barn. Between them was a magnificent animal having the appearance of a very large fawn. The obviously orcish arrow protruding sideways from its hindquarters made Thranduil's temper flare momentarily and he forgave Tauriel her folly. The creature was hyperventilating and rolling its eyes but otherwise still. One of the grooms was holding a rope halter of a sort that seemed to be crafted from the green material of a guards garb. Tauriel's, he thought, with some exasperation. The other was examining the arrow.

Thranduil cleared his throat. He presence was unexpected, he knew, but he did not intend to let that be an obstacle. The grooms looked at him in ill-disguised shock as he carefully removed his heavy brocade outer garment, folding it over the door of a stall. The horse within shied a little. 

"Try not to eat my clothes", he muttered at it.

"I'll do it", he said to the nearest groom, indicating the arrow with a tilt of his jaw "if you can keep the beast secure."

"Of course, my lord."

Thranduil approached the animal slowly, already habitually murmuring soft words at it as if it were a horse. He gave it a chance to experience his nearness before laying his hand experimentally on the injured flank. The creature shivered a little and sidestepped. 

"Prepare yourself", Thranduil said quietly to the grooms, who were still gawping a little at the sudden appearance of their King.

Thranduil laid his had so that the arrow protruded from the area between his fingers and thumb. He knew twirling an arrow could be ill-advised, but he did not want to make an incision and he had learned no other way to determine if an arrow was lodged in bone. He twisted the arrow, just a little, but it was enough to make the elk make a hideous sound and leap sideways. 

"Not in bone", Thranduil said pleasantly. "I will have to push it in to be certain a muscle contraction has not bent the arrowhead. Then I need to pull it out, unfortunately. It is going to cause pain. You will have to do your best to hold him still. I assume you have already administered something for pain?"

"Yes my Lord, the Captain demanded it."

Without looking at whoever had answered him, he crouched to the animal again. He felt a little ill at what he was about to do. The arrow would be barbed, and it would tear tissue on its way out. There was no help for it, aside from involving an amount of knives and a very skilled surgeon.

"Warm a brand, he said, again to no one in particular, knowing he would be obeyed."


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters will get longer, I promise (this began as a sort of extended drabble that I did not think would make it out of its place in a dusty nest of folders- my plans for it have now become more elaborate). Also, while writing I have listened repeatedly to Eric Whitacre's Alleluiah. If you enjoy haunting elven-sounding music I highly recommend this piece. And really everything Whitacre has ever composed.

Two hours and a large amount of lowing and Thranduil getting his feet stepped on later, he had removed the arrow and cauterized the wound. Because he could think of no time in memory when bandaging the torso of a horse or anything like it had been remotely effective, he was now kneeling in the straw of an empty stall, pressing a compress of herbs to the flank of a young elk. At midnight. 

This was much to the dismay of the grooms, who had tried to persuade him that if the head groom refused to concern himself with the pathetic animal, surely their king had better things to occupy himself. In truth, Thranduil wanted nothing more than time away from the rooms full of scrolls and frustrating council members that were the confines his typical day. He had convinced them to retire regardless, or rather, ordered them. It was all the same for a King.

He was now examining the elk, who had finally stopped moving about. It was, aside from its injury, a healthy creature, with smooth gleaming hooves and prominent muscles. Male, he noted. But the beast was still trembling, whether in pain or lingering terror Thranduil could not tell. He had already exhausted every endearment he remembered on it on the in the previous ordeal, partly out of habit left from dealing with frantic horses, and partly with the aim of accustoming it to elven voices.

Thranduil paused with his lips parted before beginning to sing. He did not sing anymore, at least not often, and never in the hearing of others. Nevertheless his voice was rich and low as it had ever been, and the animal had calmed somewhat by the time he had finished the Lay of Nimrodel and begun another.

He was sure he had been carrying on for nearly an hour when he heard footsteps in the aisle and fell silent, cursing whatever subject of his felt the need for a mount when dusk had long past. To his even greater dismay, it was not merely any subject, but a redheaded Captain of the Guard, who proceeded to slip elegantly into the box stall he was currently occupying. 

"Aran nin." She said softly.

"I did not expect you."

"Tauriel." He acknowledged her with a miniscule lift of his chin, letting his eyes flick briefly over her form before turning back to his task.

The elleth made her way up to where he knelt, stroking the elk's wide forehead and scratching its withers before lowering herself to the straw beside him. She pushed the bundle he was holding to the wound aside gently. She did not grimace at the blackened puncture, for she had seen her share of injuries despite living all her young life in peacetime. 

"It looks well. Not infected I hope, although that is much to hope for. Let me, my Lord." She took the bundle from his hands without waiting for assent. Thranduil, past caring about her presumption, rose to his feet gracefully despite his muscles' protest.

Tauriel placed the herbs back against the injury and began to stroke the animal's side with her other hand, fingertips sinking into it's dense coat. Thranduil watched her from where he stood. She was very Silvan looking, for all the rank she had attained, her coppery hair betraying her heritage instantly. The muscles standing out in her shoulder as she swept her hand slowly across the elk's side betrayed her profession just as apparently. Tauriel was a soldier to her core, he could not imagine her in any other place, except perhaps that of a healer, for her stubborn compassion was what seemed to drive her aggression. 

"Why are you here", he questioned when he had finished his perusal of his Captain, belatedly wondering why he had taken to lowering his voice around the elk as if it were a sleeping child. 

"I was just relieved from my position on the night watch", Tauriel murmured in reply, rising to her feet. 

"And I thought I would check whether he had yet been put down." Thranduil nodded in an imperious manner that contrasted somewhat with his appearance. Currently, his mithril circlet was hanging on a nail in the wall and a horse was currently chewing on his unattended robes. He narrowed his eyes at said animal across the aisle, and the cheeky bay had not the grace to look remotely sheepish.

"I think we can leave him. He is very calm now, Aran nin. He has learned to trust us." The elk in question turned its head sideways to Tauriel, the dark spheres of its eyes throwing back the light of the lanterns hung in the aisle.

She in turn, looked over her shoulder at Thranduil, and inclined her head. 

"Thank you." She turned quietly and slipped away in near silence that was a testament to her skill. 

Thranduil withdrew to the aisle soon after, and again met the Captain, who sidestepped pertly around him as if he were an idle stable hand. Setting the bucket of water she had returned with on the stall floor, she began to busy herself with tying a net of alfalfa to a ring in the wall. Meanwhile he retrieved his defiled robe from where it hung, stained now by horse drool.

She latched the door smoothly and smiled fondly over at him.

"You have taken an interest in another little forest orphan for the sake of your first one. I am very grateful." She was nearly glowing, crinkled green eyes looking into his with raw joy in them.

Thranduil was somewhat taken aback by this, though of course his face showed nothing but blankness. He mused at his previous oversight as he watched her turn to go. Of course she would pity a young creature left alone in the wake of an orc pack, for that was what she had been. He had nearly let this event, though not long past, slip from memory. She was so willful now and wild, always pushing for more free rein that he had forgotten she had not always been strong.

Perhaps this elk would know a similar path. For the first time in too long, Thranduil felt himself genuinely wishing for something.


	4. IV

Weeks and months rolled by swiftly, as is the way in the halls of immortals. Tauriel tried to find time to visit her elk, who was growing at a rapid rate and already several hands taller. Sometimes she would merely brush his coat and murmur to him, and sometimes she lead him about with a halter to accustom him to the practice. She found it slightly surprising how agreeable he was to these interactions, improving greatly in his receptiveness each time she returned. She had not thought to wonder after this, merely being pleased with the progress of her project.

However, Tauriel's duties left her little spare time for such luxuries. She was responsible for beginning drills at dawn, organizing the morning patrol, putting soldiers on guard duty shifts, and running training throughout the day. She frequently assigned herself to patrols as well, leaving her with precious few moments of peace between dawn and dusk. Thus it seemed strange that one particular afternoon she found herself with nothing to do. Legolas had volunteered to lead archery training for the afternoon and she had gratefully relinquished the duty, unprepared for how lost she felt with nothing to attend to and no idea how to spend the unexpected leisure time.

She was woefully lacking in the way of most courtly activities, her skills confined to practicalities like horsemanship, healing and weapons-bearing. After standing at the door of her chambers for a minute feeling somewhat directionless, she decided remaining within the Halls would be a dreadful waste of time and headed for the gates, intending to enjoy the sun on her back and the wind in her hair.

 She had walked half a league into the forest when her ears picked up a soft humming.

_Definitely made by an elf._

Not one to remain wondering, Tauriel followed the sound, keeping her steps carefully placed and near-silent. Nearly a furlong later it was clearly distinguishable as a male voice, and a very pleasant one at that. Tauriel felt she recognized it, but she could not put a name to it so she continued, imbuing further stealth into her manner. Her heart was beating fast, as if she were stalking prey, but she knew she was neither hunting nor in danger and she wondered at her arousal.

Within several more seconds she found herself at the edge of a clearing. She could now see the singer, still nearly a hundred meters away from her, a tall ellon with pale hair glistening like a waterfall on his bare shoulders. She thought nothing of his semi-nakedness for the heat of midday was nearly stifling her even in her lightweight uniform. In fact, she found faint admiration in her heart for the elf, who clearly had the build and bearing of a warrior. Then there was a sound like hoofbeats and she saw an animal run towards him. An elk.

 _Her_ elk. Nay, the _King's_ elk.

Tauriel whispered a soft curse under her breath. The elf standing there, the elf she had been swooning over like Beren from behind a bush, was her King. Her elk trotted up to him and at a gesture from Thranduil, turned sharply to one side and ran a tight circle around him. The King ceased singing momentarily and said something under his breath, praise for the maneuver, Tauriel inferred. Her realization of the mysterious elf's identity did not make the sight any less breathtaking. For one thing, the elk had been masterfully trained, maybe for hours a day. Thranduil would have had to rise before the dawn, or remain at work long into the night to make up for the lost time, for his daily duties were as demanding as hers, Tauriel knew.

Also, he was beautiful, though she cared less to admit this. The silvery hair fanning out behind him in the light breeze and his golden voice floating on the warm air captivated her, and her heart beat heavier on her ribcage.

 _It would be wise to leave, Captain._ She advised herself internally. But she could not bring herself to, not yet. She watched as Thranduil directed the elf to walk circles around him with only a few subtle hand movements, singing all the while the song that had drawn her. Tauriel could tell the music and the words both were old even by the standard of elves. She was now appreciative of the sparse Quenya she had learned from Legolas in her younger centuries, lips curving in a smile as she remembered him remarking dryly that she would one day be thankful.

When he abruptly stopped singing and turned his head toward the group of trees she was mostly hidden by, she thought she would die. Either from embarrassment, surprise, or the kings own hand, for spying on him. But he turned away after a few seconds and she took the opportunity to slip away before he looked closer.

The rest of the day passed without event, and Tauriel managed to give her evening report without her face betraying her thoughts. Not that there were many that needed to be hidden, she tried to convince herself. But it was hard to look at him, draped in pooling silver and green robes without letting her mind flutter back to him standing in the glade with the sun gleaming on the flawless alabaster of his skin. He was different, here in the cold stone of his halls. His fea was that of a blade, cruel and sharp. But now she had seen differently and his indifference did not chafe her as it once had, though she very nearly wished it would.


	5. V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clarify: I'm going with my notion that elk mature somewhat faster than for example, a horse, which would not likely be halter trained let alone responding to fancy commands at six months. Plus, it's elves, and they can do cool stuff (Glorfindel could just tell Asfalof to go faster in elvish and poof!). So basically, I have been and will continue working under the assumption that elves are much better animal-whisperers than your average human. I know I likely couldn't drag a wild sheep home with a DIY halter so I doubt Tauriel could haul an elk multiple kilometers without some sort of elf-magic even if she had a patrol to help. Silvans, if anything, would be particularly good with animals probably having had the most contact with forest wildlife. So there's my justification. 
> 
> Also it's going to continue flip-flopping between Tauriel and Thranudil's points of view at regular intervals just because I can never content myself with a single limited omniscient.

The season of the leaves' fall did not pass so quickly by Tauriel's reckoning. In the summer months the patrols had kept most foul creatures at bay, mainly due to her insistence that a weekly quota of spiders be killed. Her men had since accepted it as an unofficial policy and went farther each week in search of quarry, eventually developing of a wide radius of relative safety around the King's Halls. But that work had been undone as autumn approached. Elves and forest creatures both were more often in the woods, preparing for the winter months and tempting the beasts from their lairs with the promise of prey. Each day meant leading a band of men through the forest, hacking apart the new nests in the Greenwood that sickened even as they fought for its life.  
  
A truer reason for the dragging of the days was perhaps that never again did Tauriel have the fortune to stumble upon the King without his cold mask. Regardless, she returned no small amount in her mind to a certain late summer day. She ever wondered on his journeys to the glade alone, and feared for him despite her knowledge of his prowess. It was his realm, and for time beyond even her memory he had defended it. Regardless, this she found herself tense throughout the days' brightest hours when she knew the King would not, in fact, be taking a midday meal in the chambers guarded at the door by one of her soldiers.  
  
On one particularly brisk night, with the evening patrol over, Tauriel had found herself too energized to retire to her rooms. This was not uncommon for her. Being outdoors and active enhanced her physical alertness and as it was she often felt more awake at night. She did what she most often did when her days work was done and found her way to the stables. The latch of the double doors was cool on her fingers and her footsteps echoed on the wooden floor as she stepped inside, blinking to let her eyes adjust to the dimness.  
  
"Bragolan?" She whispered, making her way to the stall that had belonged to her elk for more than four months since she had brought him back with her. His head lifted at the sound of the name she had given him, and she smiled. She had been sure to mention it at least once in Thranduil's presence so he could use it too, with what she hoped was subtlety, and now she was sure her ploy had been successful.  
  
"How are you, my handsome lad?" She slipped into the stall with as little noise as she could manage for the benefit of the sleeping horses.  
  
"I nearly lost a soldier today, mellon. Do you want to hear of it?"  She took Bragolan's soft exhale as consent.  
  
"There were many more spiders than we had thought we would find and one of my men had to face three at once with an empty quiver. They think they can rule here, in our forest, but that is not allowed, is it meleth? The King is content to kill them as they come."  Tauriel exhaled forcefully.  
  
"I would like to get rid of them permanently, sometime or other."  She whispered conspiratorially, sifting her hands through his coat, admiring the even colour bereft of its summer spots.    
  
The barn doors opened and Tauriel saw a familiar figure slip through the door. She felt herself smiling.  
  
"Why are you following me?" She teased.  
  
The prince smiled in response, setting the palms of his hands on the half door of the stall and leaning forward on them.  
  
"My father told me I had better make sure you cease teaching treason to your elk." Tauriel flicked her eyes at the rafters. Of course he could hear her from outside the door.  
  
"Legolas! He did nothing of the sort."  
  
"Ah, you are right, no he did not. I thought I had best check on you after today's events. Besides, delightful as this elk is as a listener he cannot compete with me as a conversationalist." Tauriel laughed but sobered quickly.  
  
"It was nothing dreadful, just a scare. It happens with great regularity in these times and naught can we do but our best. I shall survive as always. I have lost men before."  
  
"You have lost much", Legolas said quietly. Tauriel chewed her lip.  
  
"You have been bearing much alone since Aelwen sailed, nay?" Tauriel winced at the reminder of the kind elleth who had been her ward after her parents' deaths. Aelwen had encouraged her ambition in her military career and listened to her sorrows but in the end her grief at the passing of her husband and sisters in the war had drawn her heart to the sea.  
  
"I do miss her sorely." she whispered, then squared her shoulders. "I do not think it would be fitting to share my doubts and defiance with my soldiers, Legolas."  
  
"Nay, but know that you have me, should you need one to give ear."  
  
"For that I am more than grateful." She paused. "We have grown so grave. I miss our days of youth, with naught on our minds but besting each other at training."  
  
"You thought to best me? I was hardly trying." Legolas looked at her solemnly and Tauriel narrowed her eyes at him.  
  
"All those princeling duties that keep you busy have not made you less a knave."  
  
They laughed in unison now and Legolas leaped over the stall door without unlatching it. Tauriel rolled her eyes.  
  
"In other happenings, this elk has grown a great deal."  He stroked the creature thoughtfully "I think my father has some idea he shall one day use him as a steed."  
  
"Is that so? He had not enlightened me." She bit down on a smirk at her mental image of a certain summer day in a forest clearing.  
  
Legolas raised his brows at her over Bragolan's neck. "You know something, Tauriel."  
  
"Nay, I do not. Merely I suspected such ever since he left Bragolan alive. The King does nothing without a purpose."

 Legolas knit his brows.  
  
"This is all too true. I only wish he would tell me more of his plans."  The heaviness in his voice did not escape Tauriel's notice.  
  
"After my parents were died, I worried I could not open my heart again. You were so kind to me I had no choice but to care for you." Legolas smiled at this, and she reached out and took his hand.  
  
"But your father is not so young as I, and you remind him of what he has lost. Do not blame yourself for his hardness of heart."  
  
"Your counsel is wise. Thank you, Tauriel."  
  
They spoke awhile longer, until both were weary and retired.  But Tauriel did not let herself rest immediately, instead pondering Legolas' words to her.  Perhaps her interest in the King was naught but loneliness, she thought. She did miss Aelwen greatly, for her empathy and sense of humour and for the mentorship she had provided. Her warden had been a warrior once, but had forsaken it after the war ended to serve the king in his court as a diplomat, and Tauriel had deeply admired how she had adapted her skills so readily to fill the needs of the kingdom.  
  
"Eru knows, there can never be enough diplomats to balance the tempers of Oropher's line." Tauriel remembered her saying, after one of many, many council meetings. She smiled at the thought of Legolas, never one to hold his silence if there were words he wished to say. But it was Thranduil's cold eyes that remained with her as she let her mind drift into rest.


End file.
